Summer is almost here.Tulips and daffodils are blooming and tomato starts, in the bay window, are two inches tall.

This means that I will soon be reminded that I have, yet again, overestimated my youth and energy.I am still weight lifting and doing aerobics, and still stuck at 11 pounds lost, but I do hope I have the energy for the garden this year.

I have a hard time throwing out the weaker plant starts.I just cannot imagine me ever being able to chop up the Mandrake roots. Since I do like to have extra plants, and thus extra produce, to take to the Seniors in mom’s apartment building, I planned on planting more this year anyway.

No one is fond of mowing our 3.8 acre yard. A couple of areas of the yard are wooded, so we just leave those alone.I think one winter day, when the ticks are hibernating (Do ticks hibernate?) I will put the teens to cleaning the woods.That is, if they are ever home long enough.

No longer a Teen, #1 is living in Santa Fe, temporarily and is 22 now.Teen #2 will be 20 this June, and is always gone to the fire department or nursing schooling, or working.Teen #3 is now best buddies with his girlfriend’s dad; whose house he goes to for extra tutoring and also to help around their property.The latest project is a “man cave” in the barn; complete with comfy chairs and a television.

It is always a spur to tell them that they can use the wood they pick up for their fire pit, plus, them being volunteer firemen (and cadet) they realize the fire danger of an overgrown/deadwood woods.

Our drive is 400 feet long and I would love to build a Japanese style walking garden on the strip of land to the east of it. The area between house and pond, to the west, could be deck and terraced gardens; thus, eliminating most of the mowing. We would then be left with the area around my studio to mow. I would love to have that in square foot gardening plots.Thus again, dreaming of a time when energy and aching bones was never a problem.